The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for optically scanning objects and, more specifically, to optically scanning the peripheral surface along the entire longitudinal length of an object of either discrete or indeterminate length to obtain dimension related information.
In many manufacturing operations, the object manufactured must conform to specific dimensional limits including, for example, outside diameter, overall length and/or contour dimensions. In the past, manufacturing operations have measured the manufactured objects using appropriate tools, such as micrometers, vernier calipers, and go/no-go gauges to determine if the manufactured object conformed to the required dimensional specifications. Other measurement techniques have included optical comparators in which the profile of the object was projected onto a screen provided with appropriate dimension indicia. While the aforementioned measuring techniques and devices are generally satisfactory, they usually require a human operator and, accordingly, are prone to error and are not suited to high speed automatic manufacturing operations. Additionally, the aforedescribed measuring techniques and apparatus are not suitable in those cases in which the manufactured object must not be touched, for example, in the manufacture of sterilized pharmaceuticals and the like.